The radio host blames Obama and Black Lives Matter for the shooting.

In the wake of the tragic [shootings in Dallas] (http://www.teenvogue.com/story/11-dallas-police-officers-shot-snipers-4-killed-protest) yesterday, a former congressman from Illinois has taken to Twitter to threaten the president.

Joe Walsh, who served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives and now hosts a conservative radio show, seems to be declaring a race war in the tweet, writing: “This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you.”

His original post, which the radio host quickly deleted, was followed by a frenzy of tweets where he claimed the attacks were brought on because Obama calls cops racist and, un-relatedly, defends Islam. Walsh writes: “You did this Obama” and later, “Obama stoked the flame.”

The “black lives matter punks” Walsh is referring to in the now-erased post are those protesting the police shootings of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota in just two days. Alton Sterling was a 37-year-old resident of Baron Rouge shot multiple times by one of two officers during a confrontation outside of a supermarket. Philando Castile was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop near Minneapolis with his girlfriend and her daughter in the car.

At a peaceful anti-police brutality rally in Dallas sparked by these events, snipers opened fire targeting police, killing 5 officers and injuring 9 more, including two civilians.

Walsh later tried to go back on his comment, claiming he wasn’t threatening the president. But, the traces of his violent and racist declaration will forever remain on the internet, and television producer Shonda Rhimes [responded] (https://mic.com/articles/148159/shonda-rhimes-claps-back-against-former-congressman-joe-walsh-guns-get-people-killed#.pDizGr2rz), saying that guns are responsible for the recent and unfortunate deaths, not dialogue centered around these issues.

Walsh told the Chicago Tribune what he was trying to say with his tweet was: “There’s a war against our cops in this country and I think Obama has fed that war and Black Lives Matter has fed that war….Obama’s words and the deeds of Black Lives Matter have gotten cops in this country killed.” He further tried to explain that "I was not trying to incite violence against Obama and Black Lives Matter. That’s crazy and stupid and wrong.”

Regardless of his attempted clarification, Walsh’s comments to protect our police by declaring violence against the president and silencing the Black Lives Matter movement are completely unproductive. Dallas police chief David Brown commented earlier today on the bravery of the men and women on the Dallas police force, and asked for the nation’s support saying, “We don’t feel much support most days. Let’s not make today most days. Please, we need your support.”

Walsh’s tweeting fiasco is not what Brown meant. Support means nationwide solidarity, not a call for war.